The Daily Stormer Book Clubs (DSBC) are a network of neo-Nazi cells spread throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Begun on Andrew Anglin’s The Daily Stormer web forum, these groups have allowed white supremacists and fascists in different metropolitan regions to meet and coordinate racist intimidation and violence since 2016.
The Portland, Oregon DSBC chapter (referred to in this article as the “PDX Stormers”) was until recently one of the largest and most active. Not only do they have a fluctuating membership in the neighborhood of 10 to 20 neo-Nazi participants, they have, more than other groups around the country, moved from the realm of the internet to real-world activities. Over the past couple years the PDX Stormers have carried out racist and anti-Semitic propaganda actions in the Portland metro area, in some instances targeting and then exposing even elementary school children to Nazi imagery. They have participated in a large number of Joey Gibson’s far-right rallies, and assaulted counter-protesters.
In October of 2017, Pacific Northwest Anti-fascist Workers Collective publicized information about PDX Stormer Jarl Rockhill. In February of 2018, Rose City Antifa publicized the identity of Vancouver, WA neo-Nazi Alexander Wolfgang Becker, also a member of the PDX Stormers. In the coming weeks, Rose City Antifa will expose the identities of three more PDX Stormers neo-Nazis: Matthew Blais, Bogdan Gerasimyuk, and Michael Dorsey. These three, along with Rockhill and Becker, represent the core of the most active and often seen neo-Nazis in the group. For updates, check rosecityantifa.org or follow along with the hashtags #stormerbreaker and #debaseddoxx.
Joseph Ryan Simmons (AKA Josef Sigmundr) and his wife Anna Stasia Simmons (AKA Anna Sigmundr / Anna Lovesee) are two local white supremacists associated with the neo-Nazi gang the Golden State Skinheads (GSS). Joseph was one of twenty GSS members who participated in the infamous neo-Nazi rally at the State Capitol on June 26th, 2016. After the rally was canceled due to overwhelming opposition, GSS members brutally attacked anti-racist counter-protesters with knives and clubs , Joseph himself was carrying a knife on the Capitol grounds that day.
In an ongoing series of articles, the coordinating anti-fascist network will publish revealing information about this group and profile its members. You can follow all these articles by following the hashtag #DeBasedDoxx.
Anti-fascism is fundamentally a localized movement of working-class peoples. We are not paid for our work and we take great risks every day: not for fame or money, but to protect our communities.
As part of an ongoing anti-fascist research series on a neo-Nazi paramilitary group called “The Base”, we are exposing The Base member “Brandon Hitt” as Joshua Brandon Bates of Grovetown, Columbia County, Georgia. Joshua Bates’ involvement in The Base is notable because Bates is a well-connected participant in the Alt-Right, especially through his work as a web developer and his writing under the alias “Jossur Surtrson”. Bates was active in The Base’s online chats from late September until his sudden disappearance from the server in mid-November.
Joshua Bates
About The Base
The Base is a white supremacist networking platform which aims to prepare for and accelerate the balkanization of the United States, and to carve out whites-only states under such a scenario. The Base’s platform offers members several manuals about weapons and planning terrorist attacks. As discussed in an earlier article in this series, members of The Base “operate in regional cells of 3-7 people which include current and former military personnel, eco-fascists, preppers, and youth under the age of 18 who have been drawn into the online communities of Nazism.” While it is not clear whether the reference is deliberate, it should be pointed out that “Al Qaeda” translates to “The Base” in English.
Joshua Bates seemed an ideal candidate for The Base’s racist paramilitary project: he has discipline forged through the US military; he is adept with technology, armed, and heavily invested in myths of white supremacy. It is therefore unsurprising that Bates would surface as a participant in The Base’s chat logs, under the name “Brandon Hitt.”
Joshua Bates as “Brandon Hitt” in The Base’s chat logs
“Brandon Hitt” of The Base is easy to identify as “Jossur Surtrson”/Joshua Bates by examining leaked Discord logs for “Jossur Surtrson” as well as comments from “Brandon Hitt” from The Base’s discussion logs on Riot.
This stance on Robert Bowers’ murderous attack mirrors Bate’s belief in accelerationism: the belief that the decline of the United States should be hastened as much as possible. As is common with neo-Nazis, Bates believes that current society is under the control of a Jewish conspiracy. He therefore writes:
“The great downgoing” is a pretentious way of saying the downfall of current society, which Bates wishes to replace with racially homogenous territories. The apocalyptic white supremacists of The Base wish to do everything in their power to destroy a society which they view as degenerate and controlled by Jewish people.
In mid-November, “Brandon Hitt”/Bates abruptly left The Base’s chat, triggering conversation among those who remained.
Discussion after “Brandon Hitt” leaves The Base’s chat server on Riot.
Bates’ reasoning for leaving The Base’s chat server is unknown. His departure was possibly motivated by concerns about infiltration.
“Hitt”/Bates worries about infiltration
There is no evidence that Bates has disassociated himself from white supremacy and neo-Nazism. Leaving The Base’s electronic chat does not mean that Bates has changed any of his racist convictions, or his desire for infrastructure attacks to destabilize “the system” and to carve out whites-only states.
Below is more information about Joshua Bates, which we hope can be used to keep communities safe.
Citing safety concerns and potential disruption to services at their Park, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association has denied a permit to the “Rock Stone Mountain II” white power rally advertised for February 2, 2019. However, at the time of writing Rock Stone Mountain organizers have not publicly canceled their event. Since it is possible that the event’s Klan and white supremacist organizers may try to proceed without a permit or make other plans for the day, we are still asking all anti-racists and community allies to be ready to respond on February 2.
“Precinct Chairmen are the hands-on GOP contacts within their designated precincts. They are responsible for knowing their precincts and helping to keep voters informed of GOP events and upcoming elections. The chairmen also are the ones who take on lead responsibility for getting out the vote in their precincts.”
Jeffares’ Concerns: Southern Nationalism, White Nationalism, and the Republican Party
Although Jeffares is connected to the white nationalist movement and has echoed that movement’s key themes, he is foremost a Southern Nationalist. Jeffares writes that for him, “Southern Nationalism > White Nationalism.” On his “SouthGents” blog linked from his Twitter, Jeffares sets out his Southern Nationalism in terms of three loyalties: to God, to family, and to soil. Jeffares states that deep Christian religiosity is “the bedrock of the Southern Gentleman.” By loyalty to family, Jeffares does not just mean ties to family in the present, but also defending the honor of one’s Southern ancestors. This loyalty is related to Jeffares’ third loyalty, to the soil. For Jeffares, the soil is what “we fought [for] so valiantly […] in Lincoln’s War of Tyranny.” Jeffares claims a near-mystical connection to Southern soil.
We conclude this piece with a selection of Dana Kyle Jeffares’ posts from his Twitter and Gab accounts. We believe these posts largely speak for themselves. They may be upsetting, but it is necessary to publish a selection of them, to show the extent of Jeffares’ bigotry. Most of the messages were posted to Jeffares’ Twitter account, which is followed by thousands. A few were posted to his Gab account, which has a much smaller following (over a hundred.) We believe that these messages demonstrate that dehumanization and scapegoating are at the heart of Jeffares’ politics.
If you have further information on Dana Kyle Jeffares or other far-Right racists in Georgia, please get in contact.
(a) Posts: Anti-Black Racism
(b) Posts: Antisemitism
Jeffares dog-whistles antisemitic conspiracy theory in wake of Las Vegas massacre.
On October 2nd, as has been widely reported in the media, four members of the violent neo-Nazi gang known as Rise Above Movement (earlier known as DIY Division) were arrested and are now facing federal rioting charges that could land them behind bars for years if convicted. The criminal complaint brought against members of RAM by the FBI references and quotes the work of Northern California Anti-Racist Action (NoCARA) on RAM which was published in July 2017. In light of this development, we believe it’s important to examine and clarify a number of important points relating to RAM, the FBI, state repression, and anti-fascist research and organizing.
Klansmen, neo-Nazis and white supremacists have announced their plan for a “resistance” rally at Stone Mountain Park outside Atlanta on February 2, 2019. The rally – “Rock Stone Mountain II” – is a sequel to the white power “Rock Stone Mountain” rally organized in April 2016 at the Park. In 2016, the organizers’ goal to have a white supremacist show of force was undermined by a multifaceted anti-racist mobilization of hundreds of counter-protestors. The white supremacists brought out just dozens, who were kept inside a police pen.
In 2017, Eugene Antifa revealed that Bethany Sherman, owner of cannabis testing lab OG Analytical in Eugene, OR, was a Nazi with a large online presence of fascist and racist Twitter posts. Sherman was forced to close her business as a result. Now, Sherman, with the help of white supremacist attorney William Daniel Johnson, is attempting to abuse the court system in order to subpoena Eugene Antifa’s former web host to reveal personal information about members of Eugene Antifa and visitors to their website. There is no legal basis for these subpoenas, according to the Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC), and the entire case is nothing more than an attempt to target anti-fascist activists and intimidate them in order to prevent the truth about these Nazis in our community from being known.
Bethany Sherman, the “Weed Nazi”
Bethany Sherman, here representing her former company, OG Analytical.
Is the upcoming “Rock Stone Mountain II” rally about “resistance to communism” as its current Facebook event page claims, or is it an overt white supremacist gathering? This article highlights a dozen individuals who marked themselves as “going” to the “Rock Stone Mountain” event outside Atlanta, which is scheduled for February 2nd, 2019. Although there is no guarantee that everyone listed will attend, looking at those who plan to show up gives a clear indication of the rally’s white supremacist and extreme-Right character.
We used two Facebook “going” lists for Rock Stone Mountain II for this article. First, we used the list of people who said they were “going” on the current Facebook event page. We also downloaded the “going” list for an earlier Rock Stone Mountain II event page, which was eventually deleted by Facebook. We used this earlier list as a source for the last few names discussed in this article.
Listed as “Going” on the Current “Rock Stone Mountain II” Facebook Event
John Michael Estes
John Michael Estes (Note that “88” on shirt is alphanumeric code for “H.H.” or “Heil Hitler.”)
John Michael Estes is the primary organizer for “Rock Stone Mountain II”, just as he was for the first “Rock Stone Mountain” in 2016. We have already discussed Estes’ worldview in an earlier article written before the first Rock Stone Mountain rally. Estes is a white supremacist who was radicalized by ordering books from the Aryan Nations while in prison. Estes has since that time moved through a variety of white power circles, from racist “Christian Identity” religion (which believes that whites are God’s true chosen people) to racially-charged versions of Odinism.
Estes (right) with Chester Doles (center), a longtime white supremacist and supporter of the notorious Hammerskin Nation bonehead gang. Also pictured is Chester’s wife Teresa Doles. Photo posted Jan 2016.
Calhoun, under the name “Mason Dickson”, writes about organizing the Rock Stone Mountain II event.
Prior to joining the International Keystone Knights, Gregory Calhoun was involved with the Aryan Nations Knights, the Klan wing of an Aryan Nations faction.
Calhoun in Aryan Nations Knights robes (used as Google+ profile pic circa 2015.)
Some Names Listed as “Going” on the Earlier Facebook Event
Below are some individuals who stated that they were “going” on the initial Facebook event for “Rock Stone Mountain II” before it was deleted by Facebook.
However, Owens’ RSVP that he is “going” to Rock Stone Mountain II – whose Klan and Aryan Nations-linked organizers Owens knows well – casts significant doubt on Owens’ claims to have left the white power scene behind.
John D. Martin at “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville, 2017.
Conclusion
The dozen people we discussed above indicate the extreme white supremacist nature of the upcoming Rock Stone Mountain II rally. However, this sampling of attendees is not intended as comprehensive documentation of the different white power groups who may attend the Rock Stone Mountain II rally in February. For example, two other representatives of Klan groups on the current “going” list for February may be found here and here.
Since Klan groups, neo-Nazis and white supremacists are organizing for early February on Stone Mountain, anti-racists and community members must organize too. Follow us on social media to keep up-to-date on efforts against Rock Stone Mountain II. Please also get in touch if you have more information on organizers or scheduled attendees for the February white power rally.
Ryoga Vee (front, center in Spider-Man outfit) poses for a photo with Bay Area Proud Boys and allies on April 27, 2017
NoCARA recently received an anonymous submission of documents disclosing communications as well as a meeting that took place between Berkeley City Councilman Ben Bartlett, conservative activist Ryoga Vee, and Bay Area Proud Boy Jarod Flores. This news comes at a time when Councilman Bartlett is under fire for abusing his authority on multiple occasions in order to avoid traffic tickets, and the Berkeley City Council and Berkeley police are facing backlash from the community after Berkeley PD doxxed counter protesters opposing a far-right rally in MLK Park on August 5.
While the records we received don’t comprehensively lay out the exact contents of the meeting Bartlett had with Ryoga Vee and Jarod Flores, we believe the timing of their communications and additional comments elsewhere by Vee provide insight and context into what happened and why. A link to the original PDF we received can be found at the bottom of this article after the analysis below.
